Trump Speaks at CPAC
Feb. 28 , 2021 (EIRNS)—At the Conservative Political Action Conference, former President Donald Trump made his biggest appearance since departing Washington. What follows are quick notes from his lengthy speech, which essentially followed the contours of the views he expressed as President.
Trump announced that he would not start a new party. He contrasted his success in building portions of the border wall with Biden’s open-border approach. He warned that the United States was becoming a “sanctuary nation.”
He said that Biden’s horrible failure should make it possible to win the midterms in 2022 and the White House in 2024. His quip that, “I may even decide to beat them for a third time,” drew sustained cheers and applause.
He lamented the arrival of what he called the “China virus” and poked fun at Tony Fauci for his flip-flopping on masks. He said that kids need to go back to school, right away, and that the teachers’ unions were the problem in achieving that. He spoke of the quick work in producing millions of doses of vaccines, and of the Operation Warp Speed program that committed in advance to purchasing doses. Therapeutics, too. He spoke of how the U.S. efforts will benefit the world. (Which indeed they will, although at present much of that will occur after achieving high vaccination levels in the United States.)
He blamed the WHO for its failures. He decried Biden’s recommitment to WHO funding, saying that there was no reason for the U.S. to pay $500 million to the WHO while China paid only $39 million. (This is silly: Most of the U.S. money towards the WHO is a contribution, not membership fees, a contribution made to help advance world health.)
Trump also blasted Biden’s terrible decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and to cancel the Keystone pipeline. Speaking of his promotion of energy independence, Trump returned to his campaign quip about windmills, of a husband asking his wife, “Can we watch TV tonight? Is the wind blowing?” Just consider what happened in Texas... He added “solar is great, but it can’t provide the power to make America great again, it just can’t.”
He attacked critical race theory and the destruction of women’s sports through records being broken by people who went through puberty as men before becoming involved in women’s sports.
He demonstrated one of his Achilles’s heels by lauding his own success in achieving a large increase in the valuation of the stock market—partially due to some real economic growth, but primarily representing the growth of the bubble.
He slammed Biden’s friendliness towards Russia, and insisted that it be ensured that “America, not China, dominates the future of the world.” After Covid, he stopped focusing on the trade deal. Countries that take advantage of us should be “tariffed, fined, and punished; they should not be rewarded, and that’s what the Biden Administration is doing. As you know, they have a close personal relationship with China, so I don’t expect much to happen.” China is a “tremendous economic threat.”
The Republican Party must stand up for “fair, honest, and secure elections.” This election was rigged, and the Supreme Court and other courts didn’t want to do anything about it. “You won!” He made specific calls: having one election day rather than early voting, limiting mail-in ballots, and requiring voter ID. He referred to several claimed aspects of election fraud—some accurate, some false.
He called for breaking up the tech monopolies. He demanded the repeal of Section 230 (this is a lousy idea) as well as fines for social media companies that engage in censorship. He also lambasted HR1.
He attacked a list of his GOP enemies in the Senate and House. Mention of Liz Cheney—whom he characterized as always trying to start wars—drew the greatest boos, although Mitch McConnell was pretty close. He then addressed several other aspects of election irregularities—again, a mixture of truthful insights and incorrect assertions.
He concluded with a call for people to sign up on his new website to work to shape the Republican Party. The enormous support for Trump among the Republicans at the gathering was reflected in polling of the attendees: There was enormous polling support for Trump among attendees: 95% want the Republican Party to be more like Trump, 68% want him to run again in 2024 (vs 15% no and 17% unsure), and 55% would choose Trump in a primary election held today.
